In what was most assuredly his last start wearing the Olde English D, Matthew Boyd hurled 6 1/3 innings, striking out 10 Mariners, as the Tigers lost, again, 3-2.
With the trade deadline looming on Wednesday, the lefty hurler took the mound in Seattle knowing that he was probably starting his final game as a member of the Tigers.
It was Detroit's 71st loss of the season, one that started with a rebuilding effort that has turned into a absolute disaster.
Boyd was one of the few players who will be remembered in a positive light when this nightmarish year is done, and like former Tigers Justin Verlander, and J.D. Martinez, he just may be headed to a pennant race, maybe in Milwaukee, Houston, or in The Bronx.
I've been a big fan of Matthew Boyd since he was acquired by the Tigers in a trade that sent David Price to the Blue Jay's at the 2015 trade deadline.
Why did I become a fan of the former Oregon State pitcher you say?
Well, it's quite simple, it's my middle name... BOYD.
👉 Unlike J.D. and J.V., at least Topps issued a Topps Living Set card of Matthew before he got away.
In February of 1960, when I showed up in this world, I was named John, after my two Grandfathers and my Uncle John, my Mom's Brother.
Apparently, to keep the confusion as to who they were talking to, about, or at, the use of my middle name, Boyd, became what I was known as in my family, and it's the name my Mom called me until she passed away in 2010.
And so, if this was his last game as my favorite Tigers pitcher, I thank Matthew for wearing the uniform of my favorite team with pride, and I'd like to tell him that I will always cheer him on...unless, of course, he pitches against my team.
Thanks Matty B., good luck in whatever path your career takes you down.
It was an amazing year for all of us proud fans of the Maize & Blue, culminating in a run towards a baseball Championship that ultimately fell just a game short.
I had to make this post after seeing the new issue of The Wolverine.
The Michigan baseball team played in the College World Series for the first time since 1983, when a future Cincinnati Reds HOF shortstop named Barry Larkin played for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines won Game 1 behind pitching hero Tommy Henry, a fellow graduate of Portage Northern High School, but were ultimately defeated by the powerful Vanderbilt bats.
This issue is a must have, and if your a Michigan fan you can order it here, or I'm sure it's in fine bookstores across the GREAT STATE OF MICHIGAN!
It's been a long season for Tigers fans, especially when the team plays at home, but on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park Nicholas Castellanos hit his first career Walk-Off HR, as the Detroiters beat the Blue Jay's, 4-3.
🐯 I'm very much in the minority when it comes to Castellanos... I'm a huge fan, and wish he'd play his entire career in Motown, but it's quite obvious that isn't going to happen.
🐯⚾️ This is my favorite Nicholas Castellanos baseball card. ⚾️🐯
Of all his base Topps cards, #268 in the 2015 Heritage set is my favorite card of Nick.
2015 Heritage used the 1966 Topps Set design, which, in addition to Nick in that beautiful Tigers home uniform and Olde English D ballcap, we get that cool Topps Rookie Cup prominently displayed in the lower left hand corner.
📰 It sounds as is Castellanos is headed to play for either the Dodgers, or Cubs (based on what I see on Twitter), after the trade deadline ( I've also heard Astros and Braves)...but the Cubbies and Dodgers seem to be heating up in talks.
🐯 Nick's 10th inning HR to win the game was one last shining moment in a Tigers uniform for a terrific ballplayer who deserved better from the Tigers front office and my fellow fans.
📌 At the top of the anti- Castellanos list are all the knuckleheads who subscribe to analytics as the be-all to end all when it comes to baseball stats.... who think the 27 year old right fielder should be Al Kaline defensively.
They mock is play defensively because of the ridiculous analytics numbers, and totally disregard his offensive numbers because of dumb stats like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.
While I know these numbers are important to the younger fans, the bottom line is that 2 defensive stats should NOT outweigh all of his offensive stats.
👉 All Castellanos has done since making his big league debut in September of 2013 is play his backside off while the Tigers kept moving him around, changing his natural position of shortstop in high school into being the teams next third baseman, and then moving him to the outfield, then back to 3rd Base, and then back to the outfield.
👉 In his 7 years, in over 829 career games, Castellanos has collected 855 hits, with 103 HRs, and 422 RBI.
Nick has a career. 275 batting average, a .467 slugging percentage, and, for you new age numbers fans, he has a OPS of .807.
I was talking to my friends Dennis and Paul this week, I touted Castellanos for his league leading 33 doubles, and, according to Tigers radio play by plan man Dan Dickerson, Nick is on pace for a whopping 58 two-baggers, a number that would put him in rarefied air in MLB History.
The single season record for doubles by a big league ballplayer is 67, by a man named Earl Webb, of the 1931 Boston Red Sox.
Think about that... 1931... 88 years ago...and that record still stands.
The closest anyone in recent big league play has gotten to 67 doubles was in 2000, when Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies smacked 59.
In Tigers history, only Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg (63 in 1934), and Charlie Gehringer (60 in 1936), have passed the 60 doubles threshold.
As for career doubles, Castellanos has 204 doubles... the big league record is held by HOFer Tris Speaker, who collected 792 doubles in his 22 year career.
✔ Albert Pujols, in his 19th year, is the active carer leader, with 653 doubles.
👉 So, at age 27, Nicholas Castellanos is well on his way to quite the big league baseball career, and, like J.D. Martinez, who fans also didn't want playing in Detroit, Nick is headed for greener pastures, possibly following J.D. as a World Series Champion.
Thanks Nick... thanks for wearing that Olde English D with pride and passion!
Hello again baseball fans, I hope you all had a blessed Easter Sunday..
Let's see what's going on around baseball via ye olde Internet .
⚾️🎙Brittany Ghiroli writes in The Athletic that baseball history was made on Tuesday when Suzy Cool and Melanie Newman became the FIRST all female radio broadcast team at any level of professional baseball.
📌 This is an interesting topic, as baseball has turned into a bullpen game after pitchers have gone as few as 5 innings, with pitch counts dictating how long a starter goes.
Also, teams like the Tampa Bay Rays troting out their ridiculous "opener " because they aren't capable of sending out a pitcher not named Snell or Morton to pitch makes it even harder to be a starting hurler.
If a pitcher can't go out there in the first inning against the top of the lineup because he's not a good matchup vs those batters, then he shouldn't be a starter.
⚾️ Speaking of quality starting pitchers, my two favorite starters picked up wins on back to back days this week.
🐯 My fave lefty hurler, Matthew Boyd, pitched 7 solid innings on Tuesday afternoon in Boston, as the Tigers beat the BoSox, 7-4, at Fenway Park.
📌 Matthew is 2-1 on the season, w/ a 3.19 ERA and has struck out 39 batters in 31 1/3rd innings.
😎 The Tigers double header sweep of the BoSox at Fenway Park Tuesday was the first time the boys from Motown accomplished that feat since...1965!
🚀 ⚾️ Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander...my gave righty hurler... picked up his 4th win Wednesday night with a brilliant 8 inning, 8 strikeout performance vs the Twins, allowing just 4 hits and 1 run.
JV is 4-0, w/ a 2.61 ERA on the season, and has struck out 46 batters in 38 innings.
🐯⚾️ A milestone was accomplished Wednesday night, as future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera picked up his 2,700th career hit.
🎯 Miggy is 39th on the All-Time hit list in big league history....next up, Doc Cramer at 2,705, Billy Williams at 2,711, Dave Parker at 2,712, Bill Buckner at 2,715, and former Astros/Expos/Mets/Tigers All-Star Rusty Staub at 2,716.
📌🐯 As for the All-Time Tigers hit list, Miggy is at 1,858, one behind Bobby Veach for 8th place....no one...no one , is ever gonna chase down Ty Cobb, who, in 22 years with Detroit, collected 3,900 base knocks.
📌 For those who missed it, Hoskins was thrown at twice by Mets pitchers on Tuesday...both times very close at his head.
🎯 Throwing at batters is one thing, but purposely hurling a baseball a hundred miles an hour at a players head is a load of crap, and there's no place for ot in our game.
⚾️ Baseball Card of the Day ⚾️
2019 Topps Gypsy Queen #246 Shane Greene
👌 Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene is a perfect 11 outta 11 in save opportunities this season...something no big league closer has ever done in all eleven wins to start the season.
📌 The Six time Super Bowl Champion QB made it to Twitterland just in time for the baseball season...and he's hoping the Montreal Expos make it back to the big leagues.
📌🇨🇦 Tommy was drafted by the Expos...he was a high school catcher...and that means we get to see this magnificent image created by Brady.
Thursday the annual NFL Draft will take place, and why I'm not sure who Brady's Patriots will take, however, its almost a forgone conclusion that my beloved Detroit Lions will screw up another first round pick...can't wait to see what tight end they select this time.
Well, I guess that's it for now...I hope your baseball team is doing well...unless, of course, that team plays in the Bronx.............HA HA! 😂😂
My Detroit Tigers regained first place in the American League Central today, beating the Cleveland Indians, 4-1.
The Tigers are now 8-4, making fans excited about a group of veterans and young players that have played well together, a team that has played well above anyone's expectations.
My favorite Tigers pitcher, Matthew Boyd, won his first game of the season, allowing the Tribe just one run over six innings, striking out six, and walking just one.
Matthew's ERA sits at 2.60, and the crafty lefty has now struck out 29 batters over 17.1 innings pitched this year.
Boyd is just half of my favorite big league battery mates.
The other half, catcher BIG John Hicks, had two hits, including a line drive home run off Indians starter Trevor Bauer, a big HR that gave the Detroiters a 3-1 lead after Cleveland scored their lone run in the 6th.
BIG John is a terrific ballplayer, a valuable member of the Tigers bench, who can catch, play first base, and DH if needed.
This is the best looking Topps NOW card design so far, but I think Topps has made a mistake about the $9.99 per card price, a $2.00 increase over the last time I purchased a NOW card.
I think to justify the $9.99 price, the card would have to be a major milestone, such as Miguel Cabrera's 500th HR, Justin Verlander getting his 3,000th strikeout, or Nicholas Castellanos hitting 4 HRs in a game.
Hopefully I'll be able to acquire the card via the good old Internet in about a month, or so.
Andrew McCutchen is the first FREE Pack Friday player card on the BUNT 19 app, so I decided to make the former N.L. MVP today's Baseball Card of the Day!
As soon as I saw that the veteran big leaguer was the first FREE Pack card issued this year, I knew that I had to share the beautiful card in honor of our friend, Collecting CUTCH.
I certainly wish that I could gift him the card to add to his collection, especially after Andrew homered in his Phillies debut yesterday.
Opening Day is always special, and I hope you all had a fabulous day of watching our National Pastime.
We send out Happy Baseball Birthday! wishes to former big league 3rd Baseman Travis Fryman, who turns 50 years young today!
David Travis Fryman was born on March 25, 1969, in Lexington, Kentucky, grew up in Florida, attending Gonzales Tate High School in Pensacola.
The Detroit Tigers drafted Travis with the 30th pick of the 1st round of the amateur player draft in 1987, and he made his big league debut with Detroit on July 7, 1990, at the age of 21.
As a Tigers fan, I can tell you that I though Travis would become the greatest Detroit player to ever occupy the hot corner, and I wasn't happy at all when the Tigers traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 1997 season.
In his 6 plus years in Detroit, Fryman batted .274, with 149 HRs and 169 RBI, winning a Silver Slugger Award , making the American League All-Star team four times.
As for Fryman's baseball cards, I collected them all, of all the card companies, Donruss, Fleer, Topps, Upper Deck.
As with all my cards, I collected not for any financial gain, but because he was my 3rd Baseman.
Travis Fryman looked like a ballplayer should look, played the game the right way.
Of all his baseball cards, when I hear Fryman's name the one card that comes to mind, my favorite card of his, is his 1993 Upper Deck #683.
How awesome is that card!
Yes, it actually the Tigers team card, but that matters not, it's always the card that pops into my mind....beautiful artwork indeed!
As for the best card I have of Fryman, it has to be his 1996 Leaf Signature Series autographed card.
If you're a Tigers collector, or have Fryman cards in your PC, I'd like to know what your favorite, and best cards are of Travis.
Happy Baseball Birthday! Travis Fryman...welcome to the 50 club! Play Ball! 🐯⚾️
My weekend was up and down, as my arthritis and fibromyalgia ganged up on me several times, including most of Sunday, causing many failed attempts at posting a weekend Baseball Bulletin. ⚾️ Baseball Card of the Day ⚾️
2018 Topps Gallery #63, Justin Verlander
The Houston Astros came to terms with RHP Justin Verlander on a three year contract extension worth $66 Million dollars. on Sunday, a few days after I received the Verlander card in the mail.
It's been a long winter here in Michigan, and as cold as it's been, we get a little more sunshine each day as we watch the great Miguel Cabrera having a terrific spring in Florida, showing us that the future Hall of Famer is ready to go when the Tigers face the Blue Jay's in Toronto on Thursday afternoon.
⚾️💻📰 I decided to give The Athletic a try for a week, to see if it's something I want to subscribe to for baseball news.
This will be the first Internet subscription for me, but I have social media friends who share stories and have good things to say about the baseball coverage.
There have been several quality baseball people go over to the site, including Peter Gammons, Ken Rosenthal, Jonah Keri, Brittany Ghiroli, and Jayson Stark.
Stark, one of the best baseball scribes I've read, is the reason...besides the free week and discounted rate...that I went ahead with the trial... was to read Mr. Stark's colum on Cabrera as he gets ready for the season.
🐯⚾️ In other Tigers news, the club announced on Sunday that RHP Jordan Zimmerman will be the Opening Day starter.
Jordan has said many times this spring that he's completely healthy, something that Tigers fans have been waiting for since 2016.
🏀 How many of you made up brackets for this years college hoops tournament?
I always do at least one obligatory bracket, and, depending on how good my Michigan Wolverines are at tourney time, I pick them to advance to the National Championship game...and, of course, WIN!
📌 After the weekend we've reached the Sweet Sixteen, and here's how yours truly is doing so far.
My Wolverines will be playing the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday night, around 9:40 p.m., on CBS.
💻 Not only is it bracket time in college hoops, it's also been fun interacting in the Garbage Pail Kids Twitter Tournament , which has completed four rounds of voting.
Remember, it's not to late to get involved in the GPK Tourney...and, hey, if you're not on Twitter, this is a terrific time to log on to twitter.com ,create your account, follow Cards From The Attic, ...and VOTE! for your favorite cards, interact with other users, and, well, besides a bunch of fun, you might just WIN a cool prize pack!
Well, it's almost 3 a.m. on Monday Morning, time for a few hours of sleep so I can get up and watch the Dan Patrick Show, my favorite sports radio show.
Dan and The Danettes will be on Bleacher Report Live for the first time...I do listen to the show on the Dan Patrick Show APP., but watching the simulcast makes the show much better.
Have a great start to your week...and, as always ... PLAY BALL! ⚾️
